Anchored by a dazzling performance from Justin McReynolds on the mound, Joplin put crooked numbers on the scoreboard in the first two innings to build an insurmountable lead in a 9-2 win over Carl Junction in Central Ozark Conference action on Tuesday at the JHS Athletic Complex.
“The story is Justin McReynolds just absolutely dealing during the time that he was in there,” Joplin coach Kyle Wolf said. “He was really good and pounded the zone. … I thought we were pretty good defensively behind him and made some tough plays at times to collect some outs for him as well. … Early on (offensively), we took advantage of some things to get some runs up early in the game and had some really good at-bats, too.”
Playing as the away team after weather forced the game from CJHS to JHS, Joplin scored two runs in the top of the first inning to take control. The Eagles took advantage of two Bulldog errors on the way to six runs scoring in the second frame to go up 8-0. Joplin added insurance in the fourth. The Bulldogs got on the scoreboard with a pair of two-out runs in the seventh before the rally ended.
“When you put yourself in a hole early, you make it tough,” CJ coach Jake Stevenson said. “There were times early in the game where we let the bleeding continue. We weren’t able to get an out when we needed to, and we gave up a lot of free bases. When you give up a lot of free bases against a good team with a good arm going, you’re going to be in an uphill battle and that is what we did tonight.”
Joplin improves to 12-12, 6-2 in the COC. Carl Junction falls to 8-14, 2-5 in conference play.
ON DECK
The Eagles wrap up conference play with a matchup at Willard on Thursday before traveling to Webb City on Saturday. Joplin wraps up the season with Senior Night on May 9 before the regular season finale at Lamar on May 10.
The Bulldogs are at Branson in COC action on Thursday, before hosting Parkview and Seneca in a doubleheader on Saturday. Carl Junction wraps the season with a final home conference matchup against Nixa on May 9 before traveling to St. Mary’s Colgan in Pittsburg, Kansas, on May 10.
“It is going to come down to our seniors,” Stevenson when asked what he wants to see from his team down the home stretch leading into the postseason. “This is it for them and this will be their last ride together. As they go, we go. If we can show grit and be prepared for a postseason run, it will start with our leadership.”
ON THE MOUND
McReynolds was dominant for the Eagles, allowing one hit over six innings, which came with one out in the sixth. He walked two and struck out four without allowing a run. Joe Jasper allowed two runs on four hits and a strikeout in one relief inning.
“He comes at you from a little different arm angle with a little different release that is hard to pick up,” Wolf noted about McReynolds. “He is sneaky fast, and he just competed in the zone. He threw a lot of strikes and pressured them to put the bat to the ball.”
Kyler Perry started and took the loss for Carl Junction after allowing eight unearned runs on five hits, three walks and two strikeouts in two innings. Jordan Woodruff allowed one run on one hit, a walk and a strikeout in two relief innings, while Hunter Cantrell and Jacob Ford combined to pitch three scoreless relief innings.
GAME ACTION
Joplin took control of the game from the onset with a pair of runs touching home in the top of the first inning. Byler Reither doubled to right field with one out before stealing third and coming around to score on a three-base CJ error on a fly ball off the bat of Kyler Stokes. Stokes came in to score in the next at-bat on an RBI groundout by McReynolds for a 2-0 lead.
“Anytime you can get out to a lead, it can open things up for you,” Wolf said. “We can be a little more aggressive on the bases and try to do some other things to tack onto it.”
The Eagles added the first insurance run in the top of the second when Layten Copher walked and moved to third on a two-base throwing on an errant pick-off throw to first. Copher touched home on a sac fly to right from Tyler Schumann to make the score 3-0. Stokes sent a ball to center field for a sac fly with the bases full to plate a fourth run. Ethan Guilford followed with an RBI single up the middle and McReynolds continued to help himself with a two-run double to right-center to push the lead to 7-0. The sixth run of the inning came home on a Bulldog throwing error.
“To come out and score two and then have the big inning after that—it was a little bit of everything,” Wolf said. “We hit when we needed to hit and took some bases when we needed to take some bases. I think we had three of four sacrifice flies in situations where we needed them. We executed some at-bats that may have been outs, but they were productive when we needed them.”
Joplin pushed the lead to 9-0 in the top of the fourth when McReynolds registered a sacrifice fly to center to score Stokes.
Carl Junction got on the scoreboard in the top of the seventh when Arlen Wakefield drove in two with a two-out single.
AT THE PLATE
Guilford had three hits, two RBI and scored a run for Joplin, while McReynolds had two hits, including a triple, and three RBI. Reither doubled and scored twice, with Stokes recording a hit, scoring twice and driving in one.
Wakefield had a hit and two RBI for CJ. Lucas Vanlanduit and Cole Wilson also registered hits and scored a run each.
